Saturday, July 23, 2005

That narrows it down

Earlier in the week, the Bristol paper reported that court-appointed defense lawyers want out of the case of a murder defendant. One of them said here of the defendant's plans: "he has told me he will give his opening statement, closing statement and act as his own expert witness." The same article indicated that the lawyers were seeking approval for pharmacological and mental health experts.

Is the defendant planning to act as his own mental health expert?

I am reminded that years ago, one of my old court-appointed clients saw me in downtown Bristol and asked me how she could signed up for disability benefits. Well, you have to have something wrong with you, I said, that makes you unable to work. How about mental, she replied, everyone here (gesturing to her friends) knows I'm nuts.